A cotbed is essentially the same but once your child is ready you can take both sides off, turning it into a junior bed sometimes called a toddler bed. What safety advice should you know before buying a cotbed or cot?

The innovative shape of the metal handrail easily and comfortably enables the users lifting action from lying to a sitting position and sitting to standing positions. Find out about what to look out for when choosing a cot and read our guidelines for cot safety. Babies need lots of sleep, and during the first two years of their life they will on average spend more of their time sleeping than not.

Unfortunately not all carry this, so check the following: Less than 7mm Between 1. A lot of older models were decorated with lead paint, which is now considered unsafe. You should also buy a new mattress. As it currently stands, FSID neither advises for or against cot bumpers, but they do want to make parents aware that accidents happen if your child plays with them and they become loose.

Unnerving stories about drop-sides in cots has led the USA to consider banning them but there is no issue in the UK as rigorous testing and safety standards have been met.

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How much space do you have? Space, or lack of it, can be a major influence when choosing a cot or cotbed. If you have a small nursery or want your baby sleeping in your bedroom, it may be best to buy a cot, as it can be a lot smaller than a cotbed.

Do you want the cot right beside your bed? If you want your baby right alongside your bed, consider a bedside cot. One side of the cot simply slides underneath the mattress or folds away enabling you to position the cot right up to your mattress.

Then, as soon as your baby is ready to move into their own bedroom, just put the side up and you have an independent cot.

There are many reasons why you might choose a bedside cot - perhaps you like the idea of co-sleeping, want night-time breastfeeding made easier or feel that every second of sleep counts towards your sanity.

As your baby grows and you adjust the cot's base to a lower position, bending further over the cot side to pick up your now much-heavier child could be a problem. This is where a drop-side comes into its own. The USA is currently investigating drop-sides as a safety risk to small children. Cots with fixed sides are considered sturdier while drop-sides can deform or break, meaning a child could become wedged between the cot and the mattress.

Although the USA look set to ban manufacture of them the UK has a different set of rigorous safety standards and will not be. Do you want adjustable base heights?

When your baby is very young you can position the cot base high, so you gain easy access to them. The majority of cots come with this function, but the number of different heights offered does vary. What mattress do you want? Generally, the gap should be no bigger than 4cm. Some models come with a standard mattress but many companies offer a multitude of different ones, made of foam, coil springs, natural materials for allergy sufferers or with anti-microbial treatment.

Our buyer's guide to baby mattresses will help you find the right one, and we've also got advice on the different mattress types available. Where do you start? Before you spend any money, check out our in-depth reviews of cotbeds and cots.

Figuring out which bed to buy for your baby can be a confusing process since there are so many options on offer, from Moses baskets to swinging cribs to cot beds you can even put them to bed in a swinging hammock if you like. Some older cribs contained a drop gate or drop side , a side which lowers to ease the process of putting the child into the bed, but can be raised again to restore the integrity of the enclosure.

Each has detailed specifications included, from cot size to number of adjustable cot base heights, to help you find the one that best meets your needs.